This Shattered World

SYNOPSIS:

The second installment in the epic Starbound trilogy introduces a new pair of star-crossed lovers on two sides of a bloody war.

Jubilee Chase and Flynn Cormac should never have met.
Lee is captain of the forces sent to Avon to crush the terraformed planet’s rebellious colonists, but she has her own reasons for hating the insurgents.

Rebellion is in Flynn’s blood. Terraforming corporations make their fortune by recruiting colonists to make the inhospitable planets livable, with the promise of a better life for their children. But they never fulfilled their promise on Avon, and decades later, Flynn is leading the rebellion.

Desperate for any advantage in a bloody and unrelentingly war, Flynn does the only thing that makes sense when he and Lee cross paths: he returns to base with her as prisoner. But as his fellow rebels prepare to execute this tough-talking girl with nerves of steel, Flynn makes another choice that will change him forever. He and Lee escape the rebel base together, caught between two sides of a senseless war.

All the stars beyond the clouded skies of Avon!

That’s how many this series deserves.

This story is the definition of “beautiful”!
I loved the characters, the plot, the turnarounds, the ties to “These Broken Stars” (both characters from the first book, squee!) – it was, simply put, alluring and edge-gripping and absolutely perfect!

Though I admit that the first one was somehow closer to my heart (as I deeply enjoyed the slow pacing, the focus on the two sarcastic, main characters and their interactions, the very emotional side of it), I think that most readers will enjoy this one better – because there is plenty of good action and the setup is different than the first one and probably more exciting, eternally keeping you on your toes.

THIS SHATTERED WOLRD does not give you time to think about it, you just dive into it and stop breathing until you reach the last page. But trust me, you will feel like you’ve reached that one way too soon.
I, for one, could never have enough of this story.

Title, cover, structure:

I am not sure what happened with Flynn’s shirt *cough*, but I love that they kept a similar look to “These Broken Stars” for the cover. And this only reminds me of how badly I want these books on my shelve, because I am deeply in love with them! They are gorgeous (background, models, clothing, colouring… everything)!

The title is also perfect, Avon is a shattered word that needs mending, a world split in two that needs someone from each side to put it back together.

Between chapters we find the dreams Lee never dreamt, not just yet (in the same form we had the interrogatory before). They give away her past, but also her present with the fears she struggles with the most. It is a beautiful and an original way to connect with this character. It is also a wonderful way to connect both books in the series.

The action is addictive, edge gripping; the characters are flawed, yet fleshed out, realistically portrayed. The ending feels more plausible than the first one, as that was more sci-fi compared to what I am used. And damn, even though there is no cliffhanger in it, it still makes me want so badly to pick the next one and see how things go on Corinth. This waiting will be killing me slowly for sure!

The story:

“These Broken Stars” and “This Shattered World” are very similar and, in the same time, completely different. You can feel them as part of the same series and the writing is just as wonderful as before & it flows just as effortlessly, but they give completely different vibes and the settling here is quite the opposite from the first book:

The characters are in their world, surrounded by their people, interacting with them and feeling somehow secure inside their territories, but there is the same amount of struggle to survive, to find the truth, to find a way out together.

The intrigue is just as good as before, only this time the action kicks from the very beginning, and there are very few ‘slow’ moments. So, make sure to take a deep breath, because there won’t be time for another.

The romance is sweet and realistic. Yes, there is some amount of attraction from the very beginning (who would complain about that?), but the actual feelings come into focus gradually, at a very slow pace – they start trusting each other, they become allies, they both struggle with what is right or wrong and, in the end, they give in to their feelings.

“He could tell me he loves me, but he doesn’t know me the way a lover would; he knows the shape of my heart, as I know his. He could tell me he doesn’t want to lose me, but we’re both already lost, and only the tether between us keeps us from drifting out into the black.”

There is as much character development as there is action. Both, perfectly well done.

The characters:

I fell in love with both characters from the beginning. Flynn is witty and caring, Jubilee (aka. Lee) is strong and determined. He wants peace and freedom for his people, she needs to keep order and to seek revenge. They are from different worlds (just the way Tarver and Lilac were), from opposite sides of this senseless war, still they are perfect for each other. Flynn usually tries a more peaceful approach and uses violence only when it’s needed or if there’s no other way (which is a little ironic considering how they met), Lee is that kind of person that punches you in the face first and asks questions later.

Light and dark. Yin and yang. Rebel and Soldier.

It’s funny because in the first book Tarver was the strong, know-it-all one, still in this book (at times) things feel a bit like the other way around, as Lee is more prepared for combat – and plenty of that type of action takes place in her side of the world, then again Flynn knows this world better and uses it in his advantage.

There is also a vulnerable side of Lee, she has some weaknesses too (more than anyone, Flynn should be grateful for those); as for Flynn, I loved his devotion to his people and Flynn’s quest to find the truth behind his broken world. I also loved to see them both slowly warm up to each other.

Because I mentioned Tarver, I think you will enjoy his presence in this story just as much as I did. And then you will meet some other people that will keep you good company. I liked Molly and Sean and Sofia; I could tell you who they are but I figure that surprises are good for your health. Oh.. and we even have a villain, a physical (close to our guys) one that you will feel like punching.

Didn’t I tell you that this book is filled with exciting things?!

Anyways…

Conclusions:

I love, amo, aime, iubesc, liebe, volim, 愛, elsker, .. and so on.. this series to pieces! I simply adore it!
It’s one of the best out there and I long to have it on my shelf!
Now I’ll go re-read the first book again.

Early review: Advance copy provided by the publisher for review. Thank you very-very much! Note: The Romanian version of the review can be found here.

Fan-Art:

* They all want the best books in their known Universe and beyond (ours included) 😀

** One mine, one more to come! Or well… technically two, but you get my point 😛

I really can’t wait for my printed copy!!

Novella and Excerpt:

THIS NIGHT SO DARK – Don’t miss the breathtaking short story that connects the first two novels in the Starbound trilogy, These Broken Stars and This Shattered World.

Tarver still has nightmares about the night, six months before the Icarus crash, when he rescued a group of civilian researchers being held hostage by brutal mercenaries. Now Tarver and Lilac must reconcile his memories of that fateful night with the truth that they uncovered on a mysterious planet after the Icarus crashed.

I haven’t read this series yet, but I keep hearing great things about it. As always your enthusiasm is so contagious I want to read it right away. 😀

But since currently I am reading ‘The Body Electric’ (grabbed it because of your glowing review) it will have to wait. A little bit, at least.

It is amazing, when you get the chance you should definitely read this series.

I am half-way through the first, one once more, and I love it like I did the first time if not even more (now there’s not much suspense, I know where it’s headed, so I can focus on the characters, the details I missed before, the beautiful writing). I’ve read passages of it all through this year, but only now did I get the chance to fully enjoy it again and you are right, my enthusiasm speaks volume – and this series deserves it fully.

I hope that you are enjoying The Body Electric too 🙂

Sophy

Beautiful, I am so happy to see that you liked it, because I loved the first one too and I can’t wait to read it.

I must confess that I was actually afraid. After loving These Broken Stars as much as I did (as I do), I didn’t know if I would feel the same about this one. But I shouldn’t have, as both are incredible, each in its way.

Hannah

You write the most beautiful reviews. Make me want to read all the books you love, more even, you make me want to love them just the same!

Oh, Hannah, thank you for your kind words.
To be honest, I never know if someone out there will get to read my thoughts or not, so I write for myself alone. But it feels great to hear that my words have some sort of effect on other people. I just wish you will feel the same when you read these books, because there is no greater happiness than enjoying something as much as I loved these amazing books I so happily (and with so much enthusiasm) talk about.

Monik

This sounds sensational, I can’t wait to get my hands on it! The first one was amazing too.

Though completely different it was just as wonderful as the first one. I love this couple just as much and their adventures have really kept me on the edge of my seat 🙂

Zara

I cant find this one at my local bookstore:( but I cant wait to read it, the first one was gooooood

The paperback will come out this December, I think, so maybe they will will update their stock with that format. If not, you can try online shops, some have free delivery (I live in Europe so I use BookDepository or Fishpond, but I guess you can find many others if you are from the US)